What about me?
by Simon Creed
Summary: Another small fic about Manji and Rin. Rin wonders about herself and it takes the help of a mysterious samurai to get her to figure things out. Please Read and Review!!


Hey everyone, this is my second Blade of the Immortal fic, heck, it's my second fic period. Hope you like it. Pleasepleasepleaseplease review it if you read it. I just want to know what you think!!   
  
Like I said before, I don't own Blade of the Immortal, except the first two mangas. I wish I did, but noooooo.  
  
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"What about me?"  
  
  
"Manji, it's been two years. Two whole years since we started looking for Anotsu Kagehisa. What if we never find him? That would mean...that would mean that my entire life would be a waste. Say that we did find him. And that you did kill him. What then? How could I look back on my life knowing that the only thing that has driven me anywhere was revenge, and even that, I could not do for myself - you had to be there every time to fight my fights for me! What would I possibly do when this is all over?" In reality, Rin spoke to no one. She would not let Manji hear her talking like this. She already had before, on several occasions, and each time he was able to persuade her to continue. She hated him for it. Or so she told herself. She didn't really hate him, just the fact that he might be right. She didn't realize that he had been standing by the door, hearing every word as clear as crystal.   
  
He had never heard her talking to herself about it. He didn't realize what it was doing to her. His logic was true, and she shouldn't quit now. The last two years would be a complete waste, for both of them. Manji laughed inside. How he wished he could quit, just walk away from it all and go back to his old life. But his old life ended the day that old lady had given him the kessen-chu, those mysterious bloodworms that made him immortal. Truthfully, neither of them could quit. For Rin, it was because Anotsu Kagehisa would not stop sending his minions after her until she was dead. Or at least brain dead, like Manji's sister had been. For Manji, it was because he could not let that happen. He would not let that happen. After spending the last two years together, they were family, the only family either of them had, whether they wanted to admit it or not.   
  
He left the food he had brought her outside the door, then left to go practice his swordsmanship outside. He was so deep in thought that he failed to see the figure appear from the shadows to put something in the drink. Another one of Anotsu's henchmen was after them.   
  
Rin was tired of pouting and could not sleep, so she decided to go look for Manji. She slid open the door and saw the food that he had left her. 'How sweet' she thought, and pulled the tray into her room. She decided to leave it alone for now - she was tired of being alone, and she wanted to talk to Manji, even if he wouldn't talk back. She slid the door shut as she left the room and went outside to look for him.   
  
"Damn," someone whispered from the shadows after Rin was out of earshot.   
  
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"Manji!" she called out. He turned to look at her. Instead, he saw the figure covered from head to toe in black cloth duck into the shadows.   
  
Pretending to have not seen the man, he said, "So, you're finally up? Thought you were gonna sleep all day!" He glanced to the shadows from the corner of his eye. 'Another one,' he thought to himself.   
  
"Funny," she replied. "Look, I brought my sword too. Maybe we can practice for a bit?" Rin was the last person alive who knew anything about the Mutenichi-Ryu, the sword tradition taught by her father before he was killed by one of Anotsu Kagehisa's men. She practiced her nearly flawless form everyday, but rarely did she ever get the chance to act in a battle. "Just a little bit?" she begged, with the saddest look one could imagine on her face.   
  
"AAAGGH!! You know I hate it when you do that!! I can never say no!!" Manji cringed as he said it.   
  
"Why do you think I do it?" Rin replied with a smile. She drew her sword against the ronin.   
  
"Wait," he said. He stepped over to the only nearby tree and broke off two thin branches, both nearly the length of their blades. He stripped each of their leaves, and then tossed one to Rin, which she easily caught in her free hand. "Give me your sword," he told her. Understanding what he was doing, she grasped he sword by the blade and handed it to him. He turned around to set both their blades on the grass by the tree. Rin was no fool - she took the opening and swatted him on the back of the neck with her branch. "WHAT THE - - !!" he yelped, and spun around to see Rin standing there with a smile on her face going from ear to ear. "That'sitnowI'mmad.Stupidgirl," he said in a single breath. "I hope you know that I'm not going easy now!"  
  
"I didn't want you to," she said as she rolled out of the path of Manji's swing. She swung back, only to have her branch blocked by his. She stood and spun to deflect his attack, but halfway around Manji struck her firmly on her rear with his branch, which sent her jumping.  
  
"Heh heh, that'll leave a mark, don't ya think?" he chuckled. Rin's face turned bright red. Manji quite expected steam to emerge from her ears at any second. But no longer was she embarrassed when she realized that something was horribly wrong. She knew simply by the look on Manji's face. She turned around, but saw only the shadows on the side of the inn, nothing more. Manji quickly spun around to grab their swords, but instead found an empty patch of grass where they once lay. "Ahh, shi..." He hurriedly went to Rin's side, just in case the man tried anything. Both of them looked around, but hard as they tried, they couldn't spot the villain. "Great," he said sarcastically.   
  
"Our swords..." she said. "Do you know who...?" She got no answer and was forced to settle with following him back to their room.   
  
The first thing she noticed was that where there had once been a cup full of tea rested only a smoldering piece of porcelain. "What kind of tea did you get me?!?"   
  
"You really think I did that? He must've done it while I was out practicing."  
  
"Oh, yeah..."   
  
The first thing Manji noticed was the note that had been left on Rin's mat. It read, "A true samurai needs no weapon. Are you a samurai, or a showoff?" 'This was meant for me,' he thought. Manji hated the whole situation. They couldn't just go looking for the man - to do that would be like looking for a ghost; they had no clue where to even start looking. To go buy new weapons meant they doubted their skills. And this jerk knew exactly where to find them whenever he wanted. The most they could do was wait for him, uncomfortable as it was.   
  
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Manji decided that he would stay awake that night, just in case something happened. He must have fallen asleep sometime towards the morning, however, for next to Rin there lay a new note waiting for them. "If you want your weapons and your pride, fight me. By the tree at noon." 'Can't wait, pal!!' Manji thought to himself, then crumbled up the small piece of paper.  
  
Noon came around, and Manji was already by the tree waiting. He hadn't told Rin that he was going to fight, instead, he told he that he was going to try and find one of his old friends that lived nearby.   
  
Out of the shadows stepped the man. "Good trick," said Manji. "You'll have to show me how to do that sometime..."  
  
"Maybe sometime in the next life," came the response, and for the first time, Manji realized their attacker was a girl. She immediately went for her sword, but was startled to find it someplace other than at her side.   
  
"You have no friends," said Rin, who was poking the lady in the back with her own blade. "And you," Rin said to their attacker, "have no manners. Don't you realize that it's wrong to take things from people?"  
  
"Way to go, Rin!!" Manji said, joking around. "Now where are our swords?"   
  
"They're in your room." The samurai lowered her head. "I have failed my master. Now kill me."  
  
"No," said Rin softly. "You have failed, and now you must live the rest of your life knowing that."  
  
"WHA--?" cried Manji.   
  
"What do you mean?" asked the girl.   
  
"Just what I said. Turn around, bear your face to me." Having no other choice, the girl did as she was told. Rin saw that the girl was not much older than her, 18 or 19 at the most. "Why do you do this? Why do you fight us when we have done nothing to you?"   
  
"I do it by request of my master," she replied.   
  
"Would you kill a friend of yours, should your master wish it?" Rin got no response. "I realize now why I live my life as I do. I have no other choice. You do. Please, make something of yourself. Don't be told who to be or why. Trust me, it's no fun..."   
  
She handed the samurai her sword.   
  
"I have bested you - your life now belongs to me. That is, if you are a true samurai. You will not be able to return to your master now. I am not expecting you to join us, for that would make you no better. Instead, go your own way, and do as you please..." With that, Rin stepped back and bowed to the girl. She in return bowed, and stepped into the shadows.   
  
As the sun moved in the sky, they realized that she was no longer there, and so they went back to their room.   
  
They found their swords there, as told, along with a final note.   
  
"Thank you..."  
  
  
The End  
  
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I'm not sure which one I liked better...What do you guys think? If you guys like it, I'll keep at it!! Please review it and tell me what you think!!! Until next time....  



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